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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29447586">nowhere left to hide</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/gothyringwald/pseuds/gothyringwald'>gothyringwald</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>gothy's harringrove week of love fics [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stranger Things (TV 2016)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Future Fic, Love Confessions, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 18:21:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,506</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29447586</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/gothyringwald/pseuds/gothyringwald</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Billy had never stuck with one person longer than a night or two, before Steve. He’s still not sure if it’s Steve who’s changed that part of him, the part that always wanted to run, turned him into someone who sticks around, moves in with someone instead of ditching them, or if it’s part of growing up.</p><p>Maybe it doesn’t matter.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>gothy's harringrove week of love fics [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1276193</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>129</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Harringrove Week of Love</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>nowhere left to hide</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>It's not for any of the prompts, but it's about love, and I was inspired by the Harringrove Week of Love to write it, so, yes, it's for that! :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="western">The evening sun slants through the living room window, dust motes caught in the beams. It paints gold bands over the two crates that form a makeshift coffee table, the leopard print couch rescued from a dumpster, and the carpet of a colour no word exists to describe.</p><p class="western">Billy shifts on the couch, a sweating can of beer in his hand, and shields his eyes from the one beam of sun shining directly in his eyes, so he can read the time on the clock across the room. Steve is late. It’s Friday, though, and Steve is always late on Fridays because he stops for pizza at their favourite place.</p><p class="western">It’s routine and comfortable but it doesn’t freak Billy out the way it did only a year ago. Back then, this dinky little apartment in Chicago had felt suffocating to him. Not in the way the entire town of Hawkins had been suffocating those years he was stuck there. The apartment, he could escape, and often did, going for long walks, leaving Steve at home waiting to see if Billy would be back before sunrise, or not. But he hasn’t done that in ages. He doesn’t want to. He’s…content. It’s weird and Billy doesn’t know what it means.</p><p class="western">Billy had never stuck with one person longer than a night or two, before Steve. He’s still not sure if it’s Steve who’s changed that part of him, the part that always wanted to run, turned him into someone who sticks around, moves in with someone instead of ditching them, or if it’s part of growing up.</p><p class="western">Maybe it doesn’t matter.</p><p class="western">The door bangs open—it’s warped and has to be forced—and Steve calls out: ‘Sorry I’m late, I got pizza and it was really busy.’ Billy mouths along, knowing exactly what Steve is going to say.</p><p class="western">He huffs and calls back, ‘Better not be any anchovies on it.’</p><p class="western">Moments later, Steve appears in the doorway, face flushed, a box balanced in his hands. ‘No way,’ he says, face all screwed up.</p><p class="western">Billy grins and stands, swiping the box from Steve.</p><p class="western">They fall into their usual rhythm: Billy gets plates, Steve kicks off his shoes and grabs beers, and they collapse onto the couch, leaning into each other. They eat in silence, occasionally broken by a remark about work, or someone they know, the television chattering in the background. Same as every Friday.</p><p class="western">Well, almost the same. There’s something different, tonight, something disrupting their routine. It’s nothing Steve says, or does, it’s something underneath it all. Billy tries to ignore it, because if Steve isn’t going to say anything, why should he, but eventually he can’t stand it and says, ‘What?’ when Steve opens his mouth, then closes it.</p><p class="western">‘Nothing.’ Steve licks his lips and looks away.</p><p class="western">‘Spit it out, Harrington.’</p><p class="western">‘I just…’ Steve picks at a piece of pepperoni on his pizza and lifts his shoulders. ‘I just wanted to tell you that I love you.’</p><p class="western">Billy’s pulse flutters, but his eyes narrow. Steve has told him before, and easily, so why is he being so squirrelly now? ‘Is that all?’</p><p class="western">A moment of silence passes; a glob of cheese falls from Steve’s pizza, splatting on his plate. ‘Uh, yeah. Do you need more? Want me to serenade you or something?’</p><p class="western">‘If there’s something else you want to say, just say it.’ Billy’s heart is beating fast. Before Steve can protest, say he already said it, Billy adds, ‘I can tell there’s more. I know you.’ And he does. Better than he thought he could ever know another person. But he doesn’t know what’s going on now and he fucking hates it.</p><p class="western">Steve looks at Billy and Billy can tell from the set of his mouth and something in his eyes that he’s considering whether or not to say what he wants to. A few more moments pass and Steve sets down his pizza, wiping his hands on his thighs, and says, ‘You’ve never said it back.’</p><p class="western">And there it is. Billy gulps his beer and says, ‘I know.’</p><p class="western">‘Don’t you—’ Steve ducks his head, brow furrowed. He looks up at Billy from beneath the sweep of his lashes. ‘Don’t you love me too?’</p><p class="western">Shit. Shit. <em>Shit</em>.</p><p class="western">The thing is, Billy’s always thought love was for suckers. Fools. Was never really sure love was real, or if it was something made up by greeting card companies. And, even if it was real, he wasn’t ever going to go there because it was stupid. A lie.</p><p class="western">And there’s part of him that hates that Steve has at least one up on him in this. Steve has been in love before, and Billy doesn’t even know if he <em>can</em> fall in love. What it’s meant to feel like if he can.</p><p class="western">Looking at Steve, he wants to, but—</p><p class="western">He shrugs and says the closest thing to the truth: ‘I don’t know.’</p><p class="western">‘You don’t know?’</p><p class="western">‘Did I stutter?’</p><p class="western">‘Right.’ Steve flushes, but he squares his jaw, and Billy’s chest tightens. Down the hall a door opens and closes, somewhere outside a siren wails. Steve sighs and shakes his head. ‘Whatever, it was stupid.’</p><p class="western">‘Hey’—Billy pokes Steve in the shoulder—‘what did I say about calling yourself stupid?’</p><p class="western">‘Yeah, well, making a habit of falling for people who don’t love me back is pretty stupid.’ Steve pushes himself up, and picks up their plates. In the soft light his eyes glitter, but he turns away before Billy can figure out if it’s anything more than the usual Friday night tired.</p><p class="western">‘I didn’t—’ Billy starts, but doesn’t know how to finish that.</p><p class="western">‘Forget it,’ Steve says, and then, ‘Want another beer?’ moving into the kitchen.</p><p class="western">It’s an out and Billy could take it. Return to their routine, pretend Steve never asked. But, instead of taking the beer and the escape, he runs a hand over his face and calls out, ‘I don’t know what it’s meant to feel like,’ before he can wimp out.</p><p class="western">Steve reappears in the doorway between the living room and kitchen. He crosses his arms over his stomach. ‘What?’</p><p class="western">Billy grits his teeth and says, ‘Love,’ face hot. ‘Being in love, or whatever.’ Fuck, this is humiliating. But he’s made an ass of himself in front of Steve more times than he can count, and Steve hasn’t left yet, so— ‘I mean, how do you…how do you know?’ He’s not sure if he’s asking generally, or how Steve knows.</p><p class="western">But Steve shrugs and says, ‘You just do.’</p><p class="western">‘That’s helpful.’</p><p class="western">Steve moves over, looking carefully at Billy. ‘You’re serious?’</p><p class="western">‘Do you see me laughing?’</p><p class="western">Steve sighs and sits beside Billy. Their knees touch. ‘I don’t know how to explain it…’ He looks up and takes a breath. ‘I just…I want you to be happy and safe, and I feel safe and happy when I’m with you.’ He chews his lip. ‘You piss me off sometimes and annoy the hell out of me, but I still wouldn’t want to, you know, do this with anyone else. When I think about my future, you’re there…’ He spreads his hands. ‘I mean, I want to make a life with you, or whatever.’</p><p class="western">A flush crawls up from Steve’s neck and Billy wants to put his mouth there, but he can’t move. He makes a small, grunting noise.</p><p class="western">‘And, like I said, there’s something in here’—Steve presses a hand to his chest—‘I just <em>know</em>. All those things, and a million other things I don’t even think about, they mean I love you.’</p><p class="western">For a moment, while Steve spoke, it had felt like the world was spinning too fast, but now everything is still. Billy looks at Steve, who is looking back at him, hopeful and open and <em>brave</em>, but Billy still can’t say anything. Doesn’t know what to say.</p><p class="western">‘Does that help?’ Steve asks.</p><p class="western">‘Maybe.’ Billy’s voice is rough, and he feels…weird. Like everything is more real than usual. Things start falling into place, and it freaks him out that it still doesn’t freak him out. And he knows, now, what to say: ‘Yeah, I guess…’ He clears his throat. ‘Then I guess I love you, too.’ As he says it, he knows it’s true.</p><p class="western">Steve blinks, mouth twitching into the smallest of smiles. ‘Yeah?’</p><p class="western">‘Yeah,’ Billy says, and the smile that spreads over his face matches Steve’s.</p><p class="western">Steve’s gaze softens. ‘Cool.’</p><p class="western">Billy rolls his eyes, repeats ‘cool’ all mocking, but he’s glad Steve isn’t making a big deal of this. He leans in and kisses Steve, then pushes himself off the couch, reaching a hand down and saying, ‘C’mon, we haven’t done the dishes in a few days.’</p><p class="western">Steve lets Billy pull him to his feet and into the kitchen and they do the dishes side by side—Billy washing, Steve drying—and it’s the same as always. They flick suds stand too close, jostle each other, then settle into the quiet.</p><p class="western">Nothing has changed, it’s just another Friday night, except now Billy knows.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading! :) you can find a rebloggable thingie for it <a href="https://gothyringwald.tumblr.com/post/643142016757383168/nowhere-left-to-hide">here on Tumblr if you like</a> :)</p><p>Writing has been a HUGE struggle lately, more than usual, and I feel like I don’t know what I’m doing anymore but I tried not to overthink this and just post this XD </p><p>Title taken from Foreigner’s I Want To Know What Love Is</p></blockquote></div></div>
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